The former New York City mayor and 2008 GOP presidential candidate announced Monday that he is endorsing Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, according to the Grayson campaign.

Grayson is involved in a pitched battle with Rand Paul, a physician and the son of former GOP presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, for their party's nomination.

Both are trying to succeed Sen. Jim Bunning, the Republican lawmaker who announced last summer that he would not run for a third term. National GOP leaders rallied around Grayson at the time, but Paul, a favorite with conservatives and with many in the Tea Party movement, has picked up steam and some polls indicate that he leads Grayson in the GOP primary matchup.

"Trey Grayson is the candidate in this race who will make the right decisions necessary to keep America safe and prevent more attacks on our homeland," Giuliani said in a statement. "He is not part of the 'blame America first' crowd that wants to bestow the rights of U.S. citizens on terrorists and point fingers at America for somehow causing 9/11."

Last month, Grayson released a television commercial in which the narrator hit Paul over his opposition to the Patriot Act, before saying that "Paul even wonders whether 9/11 was [America's] fault."

The ad then shows a clip of Paul discussing foreign policy in 2009. "Maybe some of the bad things that happen are a reaction to our presence in some of these countries," Paul says.

The Paul campaign responded with its own commercial calling out Grayson's ad as unfair, saying that a "desperate Trey Grayson is using September 11th to attack my integrity and my patriotism. Trey Grayson, your shameful TV ad is a lie, and it dishonors you."

Bunning endorsed Paul last week. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a darling of the Tea Party movement, is also backing Paul. Kentucky's primary is May 18.

State Attorney General Jack Conway and Lt. Gov. Don Mongiardo are the top two candidates battling for the Democratic Senate nomination.

soundoff(21 Responses)

Why is Giuliani still relevant? He hasn't done anything significant in years.

April 19, 2010 11:49 am at 11:49 am |

Ken, AZ

Giuliani's endorsement of any candidate is a kiss of death.

April 19, 2010 11:50 am at 11:50 am |

mark

Great! Grayson is a much better choice than Paul.

Giuliani!!!!

April 19, 2010 11:55 am at 11:55 am |

East end Louisvilian

It's all about Mitch McConnell folks: the man who cares more for banks than his own constituents.

When the time comes, VOTE HIM OUT. He's done nothing for the people of Kentucky.

April 19, 2010 11:56 am at 11:56 am |

Donatella

The kiss of death LOL!!!!!!

April 19, 2010 11:56 am at 11:56 am |

joel palmer

absolutely no one cares what giuliani thinks; nobody

April 19, 2010 11:57 am at 11:57 am |

Henry Miller, Libertarian

Typical paranoiac neo-con...

If Giuliani is endorsing Grayson, it's all the more reason to support Rand Paul.

The Giuliani/George-Bush attitude seems to be that the world would be a better place if all them ignorant foreigners would just shut up and do as the US tells them to do. This kind of arrogant, chip-on-the-shoulder, foreign policy is one of the principal reasons the US is so thoroughly reviled in a lot of the world.

April 19, 2010 11:59 am at 11:59 am |

Robert

The funny thing here in KY is that the latest poll shows Rand Paul up by 15 in all but the category of pro-choice Republicans and liberals. So, I guess Grayson is going where he can get support...except this isn't a good political climate for that here in KY!

On top of that, today is Rand Paul's final Money Bomb...nothing gets the Paul supporters stirred up like Giuliani's statism!

April 19, 2010 12:03 pm at 12:03 pm |

Doug,lib jersey

Rudy knows that he is life is at risk if he ran for poltical office in New York. Just like Governor Chris Christie, the Democrats would be calling for his death as well. Such tolerant people, just read the Democrat Union thug comments about Christie and how he should die, or just check out the facts about how Democrats beat the crap out of a conservative woman in New Orleans. Typical left wing violent behavior, the names may change but the actions of national socialists throughout history never do.

April 19, 2010 12:05 pm at 12:05 pm |

FrankInFL

Giuliani? Who cares? Giuliani is irrelevant. This is the same guy who, in the presidential debates, said he "had never heard of the notion that 9/11 might have been 'blowback' " from American foreign policy... and he was SERIOUS!

Obviously, "America's Mayor" never read the report of the 9/11 Commission because they said the same thing.

For the record, Rudy and I graduated from the same high school the same year and went to the same college together.

April 19, 2010 12:05 pm at 12:05 pm |

Jim in NM

Rand Paul is the real American running for the Senate in Kentucky. Grayson, backed by Giuliani, would bring more of the same anti-American positions to the office.

April 19, 2010 12:12 pm at 12:12 pm |

FRANK, LAS VEGAS

It looks like poor Mr. Grayson received the Giuliani kiss of death endorsement. Mr. a noun, a verb and 911 hasn't endorsed a winner yet and probably won't because he doesn't understand that there is a reason he lost all the races he entered. The people do not want him or the people he endorses. I sure hope Mr. Grayson didn't want this endorsement. If he did ask for it, then unfortunately he he'll get exactly what he asked for. Remember the old saying; When the gods really want to punish us, they grant us our wishes.

April 19, 2010 12:19 pm at 12:19 pm |

Dutch/Bad Newz, VA

If Giuliani supports Grayson, he definitely isn't the guy I would like to see win the primary.

April 19, 2010 12:23 pm at 12:23 pm |

Vincent

An endorsement from Rudy? Grayson's opponent must be thrilled.

April 19, 2010 12:24 pm at 12:24 pm |

Mickey, NY

Another Giuliani "kiss of death".

April 19, 2010 12:25 pm at 12:25 pm |

Marty, FL

Go Grayson!...Alan that is. ;)

April 19, 2010 12:27 pm at 12:27 pm |

Rickster

rudy is a fool and nobody should want an endorsement from him.

April 19, 2010 12:29 pm at 12:29 pm |

shooter

Rudy Giuliani is a crook.

April 19, 2010 12:34 pm at 12:34 pm |

Jeff Brown in Jersey

Who gives a crap what Rudy G. thinks? The man is unstable and a liar!

April 19, 2010 12:36 pm at 12:36 pm |

Dominican mama 4 Obama

Giuliani is NOT relevant in NYC politics, nor in national politics, so I guess he's trying to make his "9/11" message relevant in......Kentucky????!